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Thursday, May 12, 2016

Peppa Pig and her magical spell

For the uninitiated, where have you been? Peppa Pig is the
sassy, curious pig. She has a brother, George. She also has a Mumma Pig and a
Daddy Pig. And they are British. Most importantly, she rules the world. Peppa,
that is. The toddler world anyway. She has a certain power over my kids that
even I don't have.

Oh, and those muddy puddles. One of the most
important aspects of Peppa's life is the muddy puddles. And now, it is a very
important part of Sammy and Rehan's life as well. These two words can shine
bright light on their faces like they have been promised one chocolate ice
cream a day for the rest of their lives. Sammy may be crying her lungs out for
whatever reason, and I will have her attention if I merely utter the words
"muddy puddle." Those two words are enough for her to stop crying for
30 seconds, until she figures that it is a trap and I just used those words to
stop her from crying. Rehan could be having a horrible tantrum, and his
tantrums will melt away as soon as I ask him "Do you wan to watch Peppa
Pig?"

We all know what good parenting involves. It
involves not giving into your kid's tantrums. Not enabling them. Not fulfilling
the very request they have been throwing a fuss about, because otherwise they
use that as a strategy to get what they want, all the time. It involves being
consistent and following through. I could go on. Most of us know these golden
rules of raising a disciplined child. But I can promise you, there will be
days, and more than you would like to admit, when you will knowingly throw
these golden rules out the window. Simple because you are too tired, either
mentally or physically. Or just because. I keep telling myself, "It is ok. It happens."
I console myself before anyone else can condemn or console.

We have this rule of permitting screen time
for kids only on weekends. They could cry and request all they want but they
don't get any screen the rest of the week. Unless of course, it is not our day.
A day when Parents = 0, and Toddler = 1.
When all three kids are wailing at the same time. For no good reason. Or
maybe, perfectly legitimate reasons. They have still not had their dinner even
though they are starving. You know, because it is so much more important to
throw a fit than to eat. And it is just Monday! They just had their screen time
over the weekend. And the rest of the week seems so so long. So in the middle
of our crying, screaming kids, I whisper the words "Do you want to watch
Peppa Pig?" Suddenly, two out of three kids stop crying. "Yes,"
in unison they say. In my head I say "Victory." I know we have a
rule. But today is not the day to feel married to it. Today is not the day to
follow that rule. I need these little people to stop screeching at a 100
decibels. So I take out the evil-iPad and start the one and only, Peppa Pig.
Magically, these kids turn into the most well behaved beings you may witness on
this earth. They finish their dinner. Even ask for a second helping. They wipe
their faces and drink their water. They clean their hands. Almost as if they
are not my kids and were switched during the meal. So here we are. Watching
Peppa Pig on a weekday.

Last month we were traveling and I noticed
this super cool dad-mom duo traveling with their toddler and infant. They sat
in front of us outside the boarding area. Eating their home cooked meal.
Feeding broccoli to their toddler. Carrying a jogging stroller. Super fit. I
was so inspired that I was borderline jealous. "If only I could be like
them." I could hardly understand what they were saying to each other
at a distance. But suddenly I saw the dad pull out his phone from his pocket
and say something to his son. The only words I understood were
"Peppa" and "Pig." Boom. Just like that. They became so
much more relatable. My first thought was "I knew it! There had to be a
catch!" My second thought was "Thank God it is not just us!
That makes me a tad bit relieved." My third thought was "Parent,
I hear ya! We all give in from time to time. Perfectly understandable."

Parents all over the world, coming from various
different cultures, religions, regions, ethos, philosophy, race, etc., need a
Peppa in their life. It is a magic spell that works no matter where we are
from.

1 comment:

In our house it's about 30 mins to an hour of total screen time, which includes phone games (even harmless mandala coloring) and video. With our transition, I've expanded that to screen time whenever mom needs it to happen so we're at a high for screen time. But then again if I count my own...